1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for mixing and delivering viscous fluids for tissue repair, and more particularly, to a device for arthroscopically delivering a scaffold of platelet rich plasma and collagen mixture to repair the tissue.
2. Description of the Related Art
Over half a million people in the U.S. suffer an intra-articular injury every year. Approximately 100,000 of the injuries are due to a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee. Over 500,000 injuries are caused by meniscal tears.
Various procedures have been developed to repair a damaged ligament. For example, one method of repairing a torn or ruptured ACL requires a tunnel to be drilled in both the tibia and the femur. A substitute ACL graft is inserted to extend from one tunnel to another and the ends of the graft are secured to the walls of the tunnel using interference screws or the like. The necessary incisions are large and invasive. Procedure and recovery times for such a procedure are extensive.
Biologically, the ACL and other intra-articular tissues do not heal easily. Typically, the ACL has an impaired response to the injury. Blood clots, which are the foundation for the healing, cannot form in the knee joint. Moreover, physical reconstruction is difficult. One reason is the elasticity. An ACL has a Young's modulus of approximately 1 GPa. For reference, steel has a typical modulus of approximately 200 GPas.
Another problem with traditional joint tissue repair procedures, including treatment of the ACL, meniscus and articular cartilage are the amount of instruments, and incisions therefor, that are required. In addition to the surgical instruments, the physician may also need to use an arthroscope to view the surgical field. The instrumentation is costly.
Thus, there is a need to provide a more simple, less invasive and enhanced procedure to repair injured tissue.